Kristin Hannah is an author who whenever you mention her name, receives a lot of positive comments. If I post about her on socials or mention her in videos, people come flooding to gush about her array of fantastic books. The Nightingale is one of the books brought up quite regularly as one of hers I should definitely read. So when I kindly received this in the post as a gift from a follower, I was very excited to pick it up.
This article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product.
The Nightingale focuses on the story of two sisters during the Second World War as they both find survival in two very different ways. One sister focuses on keeping her family safe with the other finds herself part of the French Resistance, putting herself in danger to save the lives of soldiers. It’s a story about two powerful women in two very different ways.
The Nightingale plot – 4.25/5
I’ve read The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah and I remember whilst reading that and then summarising my thoughts on it, thinking about how well Hannah had had managed to write a gritty and down-to-earth story focusing on the people and their struggles. The Nightingale is very much the same.
This is a story about people, not necessarily the events that are happening around them and this is something that makes you fall in love with these stories.
As a result of this closeness you feel to the characters, it can cause you to feel a much closer emotional reaction to everything that happens, creating a sense of pride in these two women who are surviving in their own separate ways.
You’re not going to be reading fast-paced plot here, yes there are moments of tension and moments that will cause you to hold your breathe but if you’re hoping for some action-packed war story, that’s not what you’re going to get. But, because, as aforementioned, the feeling of closeness to the characters is there, it doesn’t ever really matter.
The Nightingale characters – 4.25/5
Above I mention how the characters in The Nightingale are a huge factor in making sure you enjoy the story. Vianne and Isabelle are our two main characters. Vianne focuses on her family during the war and as the war intensifies, Vianne’s quiet strength emerges. She begins to resist in her own way, such as hiding Jewish children to protect them from deportation. Vianne’s character embodies resilience, maternal love, and the difficult moral choices ordinary people face in extraordinary circumstances.
Isabelle, the younger sister, is impulsive, headstrong, and fiercely independent. Her fiery personality leads her to defy authority, and she quickly joins the French Resistance. Under the code name “The Nightingale,” Isabelle becomes a hero, smuggling downed Allied pilots across the Pyrenees to safety. Her bravery and recklessness often put her in danger, but she remains driven by her passionate hatred of the Nazis and a deep desire to make a difference. Isabelle symbolises youthful courage and the power of defiance in the face of oppression.
The Nightingale final rating – 4.25/5
The Nightingale was a highly enjoyable read. I wouldn’t say it had quite the same emotional effect on me that The Four Winds did when I finished reading that but it still hit all the same notes you’d hope from a Kristin Hannah book – great female protagonists, a powerful story, plenty of emotional moments and some great writing to bring it all together. With The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah has solidly asserted herself as an author I want to read more from and I’m looking forward to picking up The Women next month.
